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- Marcus Ericsson, who did not even reach a podium in 97 Formula 1 races in 2014/18, finally achieved his breakthrough in the NTT IndyCar Series.
- To claim Ericsson’s final race win, you have to go back to your days in GP2 almost a decade ago.
- Ericsson only won after Will Power’s car failed to re-ignite after a red flag with five laps remaining in the 70-lap race.
Marcus Ericsson hadn’t won a race, as he put it, “since he was a child”.
That changed on Saturday on Belle Isle.
Ericsson, who did not even reach a podium in 97 Formula 1 races in 2014/18, finally prevailed in the NTT IndyCar Series and won the first race of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix double header weekend on Belle Isle in Detroit.
To claim Ericsson’s final race win, you have to go back to your days in GP2 almost a decade ago. His victory for Chip Ganassi Racing on Saturday came on his 37th IndyCar start.
“I think Chip always says he likes winners,” said 30-year-old Ericsson. “I came here and haven’t won a race in eight years. I think when he realized that he said, Oh, you haven’t won in so long? We have to change that.
“I think he’s pretty happy I won this race today. He wants drivers who can win. We had opportunities today and I did it. We as a team did it and we delivered. I think we did It was a huge effort. I think of racing drivers, we always live with this pressure to win races and finish up front. “
However, not everyone thought that Ericsson deserved race victory at Belle Isle. Count Will Power in this camp. Maybe even third place Pato O’Ward.
Power led 37 laps of the 70-lap main race but saw his chances of victory derailed in the strangest way. He was comfortably leading with less than six laps remaining when ex-F1 driver Romain Grosjean crashed. IndyCar officials demanded a red flag.
All cars were called to the pits for the almost eight-minute red flag. When it was time to fire again, Powers car could not restart. He claimed it was due to the car’s engine control unit (ECU) overheating, blaming IndyCar for both the red flag itself and the delay it allowed its Team Penske crew to bring cooling fans into the car while it was idle . Power, the first in the pit lane, had to wait until all the cars were in the pits before getting cool air and water into the cockpit.
“Of course you don’t want someone to have such a problem, especially if they were leading the race,” said Ericsson. “I was really excited to get him on this final reboot because I said I want my first IndyCar win this year. That’s high on my list. You never want to see someone have a problem, but I will take it.
“We were a little unlucky, I’ve been a little unlucky in the last few years when we looked good. Today was our day, it was my day. It’s racing sometimes. It’s obviously bad for Will, but it was our luck. Had to just finish the job. “
Team owner Chip Ganassi, left, congratulates Marcus Ericsson on Ericsson’s win on Belle Isle.
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Ericsson led the field pulled out of the box before the idle Power. He led on restart, holding runner-up Rinus VeeKay and third-placed Pato O’Ward, becoming IndyCar’s seventh distinct winner in seven races. Ericsson joins Alex Palou, Colton Herta, Scott Dixon, O’Ward, Veekay and Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves as race winners in the insane 2021 season.
Ericsson also continued a hot streak for ex-F1 drivers trying to make their mark on Belle Isle this weekend. Kevin Magnussen, who drove for the Haas F1 Team last year, won his first pole in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and his first race with new Chip Ganassi team-mate Renger van der Zande on Saturday.
“I feel sorry for Will,” said Ericsson. He did a great job out there, yeah. That’s how it works. “
O’Ward added, “I understand they want to end on green. I bet if I was Will I would say no. I sympathize with him man. I think he would have walked away with it if it did. ” don’t blush. It really sucks. “
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